Method of Uplink Power Control in a Wireless Communication System

1. A method, in a mobile station, of controlling uplink transmit power, the mobile station operating with scheduled uplink data transmissions, the method including: updating an uplink transmit power level for the mobile station based on received uplink power control commands; detecting a change in uplink scheduled status for the mobile station; and adjusting the updating of the uplink transmit power level to account for the detected change in uplink scheduled status, where said adjusting the updating of the uplink transmit power level includes: switching between a first transmit power level accumulator and a second transmit power level accumulator for controlling the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station, where the first transmit power level accumulator controls the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data and the second transmit power level accumulator controls the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

2. The method according to claim 1 , where, during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data, the transmit power level of the first accumulator is updated using a smaller power step than during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data.

3. The method according to claim 1 , where during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data, the transmit power level of the second accumulator is updated using a smaller power step than during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

4. The method according to claim 1 , where the transmit power level of the first accumulator is only updated based on transmit power commands received during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data, and where the transmit power level of the second accumulator is only updated based on transmit power commands received during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

5. The method according to claim 1 , where said adjusting the updating of the uplink transmit power level includes: applying a power level offset associated with the detected change in the uplink scheduled status to a current uplink transmit power level.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising: deriving the power level offset from differences in transmit power command patterns received during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data and transmit power command patterns received during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

7. The method according to claim 1 , where the uplink transmit power level defines the transmit power level of an uplink control channel signal that is transmitted by the mobile station during and between the scheduled uplink data transmissions.

8. A mobile station capable of operating with scheduled uplink data transmissions in a wireless communication system, the mobile station comprising: circuitry configured for updating an uplink transmit power level for the mobile station based on received uplink power control commands; and circuitry configured for for detecting a change in uplink scheduled status for the mobile station; where said circuitry configured for updating is further configured for accounting for the detected change in the uplink scheduled status, where said circuitry configured for updating accounts for the detected change in the uplink scheduling status by switching between a first transmit power level accumulator and a second transmit power level accumulator for controlling the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station, where the first transmit power level accumulator controls the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data and the second transmit power level accumulator controls the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

9. The mobile station according to claim 8 , where said circuitry configured for updating is configured to, during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data, update the uplink transmit power level of the first accumulator using a smaller power step than during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data.

10. The mobile station according to claim 8 , where said circuitry configured for updating is configured to, during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data, update the uplink transmit power level of the second accumulator using a smaller power step than during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

11. The mobile station according to claim 8 , where the circuitry configured for updating is configured to only update the uplink transmit power level of the first accumulator based on transmit power commands received during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data and to only update the uplink transmit power level of the second accumulator based on transmit power commands received during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

12. The mobile station according to claim 8 , where the circuitry configured for updating is configured to account for the detected change in scheduling status by applying a power level offset associated with the detected change in uplink scheduled status to a current uplink transmit power level.

13. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium and executable by digital data processing circuitry in a mobile station, that operates with scheduled uplink data transmissions, to perform a method, the method comprising: updating an uplink transmit power level for the mobile station based on received uplink power control commands; detecting a change in uplink scheduled status for the mobile station; and adjusting the updating of the uplink transmit power level to account for the detected change in uplink scheduled status, where said adjusting the updating of the uplink transmit power level includes: switching between a first transmit power level accumulator and a second transmit power level accumulator for controlling the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station, where the first transmit power level accumulator controls the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data and the second transmit power level accumulator controls the uplink transmit power applied by the mobile station during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

14. The computer program of claim 13 , where, during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data, the transmit power level of the first accumulator is updated using a smaller power step than during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data.

15. The computer program of claim 14 , where during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data, the transmit power level of the second accumulator is updated using a smaller power step than during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

16. The computer program of claim 14 , where the transmit power level of the first accumulator is only updated based on transmit power commands received during periods of time when the mobile station is not scheduled to transmit data, and where the transmit power level of the second accumulator is only updated based on transmit power commands received during periods of time when the mobile station is scheduled to transmit data.

17. The computer program of claim 13 , where said adjusting the updating of the uplink transmit power level includes: applying a power level offset associated with the detected change in the uplink scheduled status to a current uplink transmit power level.